Nokia Lumia 900 Reviews Call it Best Windows Phone Yet

The reviews are in on Nokia’s Lumia 900 Windows Phone, now available for $100 with a two-year AT&T contract. Overall, reviewers consistently proclaim it the best Windows Phone yet while bemoaning the low number of third-party apps compared to iOS and Android.

Here’s a summary of what four reviewers have to say about the new smartphone.

The Wall Street Journal: Walt Mossberg writes: “I've been testing the Lumia 900 and found that it provides the best home yet for the attractive Windows Phone software, but still doesn't measure up to rival smartphones.”

On the plus side, “the Lumia 900 features the three biggest advantages of the Windows Phone platform—a handsome, distinctive, tile-based user interface; a mobile version of Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming network; and a mobile version of genuine Microsoft Office, which allows you to edit documents and share them with PCs and Macs, or store them in the cloud.”

Unfortunately, the phone is a “mixed bag,” Mossberg writes. “I was underwhelmed by the battery life, the browser, and the quality of its photos. Plus, the Windows Phone platform has only a fraction of the third-party apps available for its rivals—about 70,000, versus nearly 600,000 for the iPhone and more than 450,000 for Android. It also has a weaker content ecosystem. For instance, there is no way to buy TV shows or movies directly from the phone, and far fewer magazine and newspaper apps are available.”

PC World (4 stars): Calling it the “best Windows Phone so far,” PC World’s reviewer writes: “The Lumia 900 has the chops to stand up to the Android army and AT&T’s other darling, the iPhone 4S, but consumers need to be convinced that Windows Phone can give them everything Android and iOS can--and more.” If you use lots of Google services, however, “Windows Phone won’t make you very happy.

“For example, you can’t upload videos directly from your photo gallery to YouTube, and the YouTube ‘app’ is simply a redirect to the mobile YouTube site optimized for Windows Phone--where you still can't upload videos. Google Docs and Google Maps support? Forget it. Microsoft wants you to use its own services, such as Bing Maps, Office, and SkyDrive.”

The reviewer concludes that “if you’re not a big fan of Google products, if you already use Bing or SkyDrive, or if you just want to try something new, you’ll be delighted with the Lumia 900. Plus, you can't beat the price. Nokia has done its job, and now it is up to Microsoft and AT&T to win over customers--before it is too late.”

CNET (4 stars): “The Nokia Lumia 900's eye-popping unibody design sets a new direction for smartphone style. Its LTE speeds, vivid 4.3-inch screen, and 8-megapixel camera are high points,” writes CNET’s reviewer. The downsides: “Problems with call quality and minor design flaws like some gaps in the construction and weirdly placed buttons get in the way. The designer camera optics are good, but they don't live up to the hype. The phone shoots 720p video rather than 1080p video.” CNET’s bottom line: “The Nokia Lumia 900's unique design and high-end features make Windows Phone look fantastic, and the $99 price is extremely fair. Despite some flaws, this is my favorite Windows Phone yet.”

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